Page 30 of Heartbreak Hero

It seemed far safer than asking her about her dreams.

Because if those dreams included him, he wasn’t sure what to say.

He enjoyed spending time with her, of that there was no doubt.

But he couldn’t give her a happily ever after.

Not with the type of work he did.

She was better off with someone more… safe.

And the thought of Sara with someone else left a bitter taste.

That was probably the moment he started thinking of a life beyond what it was now.

A life with Sara.

And once he wondered what that would look like, he couldn’t get it out of his head.

She couldn’t imagine a more perfect day.

The man sitting across from her at the table was just about perfect in her opinion, and it had only taken a few hours for her to fall.

Levi had gone to the restroom and changed into blue jeans, black work boots, and a dark blue t-shirt from a go-bag tucked inside the SUV.

He looked yummy. The way the t-shirt molded to his corded arms left her breathless.

She wanted to ask him about the woman outside of the event that night, but she was reluctant to go there. Asking would certainly put a damper on today, and she wanted to enjoy every single moment she could with him.

“Why don’t we go here?”

Levi spoke and she found him holding out his phone. She took it, and a picture of a local farmers market was on the display screen.

“Really?” She sounded surprised, but she couldn’t help it. He didn’t strike her as the type to go to an outdoor market. But then she didn’t know him very well.

“Yes, really.” Humor laced his blue eyes when he smiled.

It was more of a smirk or half smile because Levi didn’t smile all that much. She had heard him chuckle today at the beach, so she figured that was a win.

“Unless you don’t want to?” He frowned.

“Yes, I want to.” She grinned, handed him back his phone, and took a bite of her pancake.

On the drive to the farmers market, Levi’s phone rang.

The man pressed the earpiece in his ear that Sara had noticed earlier.

“Huxley,” Levi said.

He stared out the windshield at the road and his hands suddenly clenched around the steering wheel. She thought for a moment it was Rebecca calling. It wasn’t like they were exclusive, but she thought she heard a man’s voice coming from the earpiece. It could be her imagination, though. It could be her wishful thinking.

She turned away and gazed out the window.

“Got it,” Levi said after several more moments.

When he reached for and caught her hand to link their fingers, Sara turned back from the passing view.

Lines bracketed his mouth, and a frown line etched between his eyes. He looked stressed and a bit irritated.

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